The subject invention relates to a patient transport device which is particularly adapted for use in a hospital. It is generally well known and accepted that the handling of a nonambulatory patient in a hospital presents a serious problem for hospital personnel. It goes without saying that the larger and the heavier the patient, the greater the problems.
In the normal course of hospital care, often times a nonambulatory patient must be transferred from the bed to some other location in the hospital. This is accomplished by lifting the patient from the hospital bed and placing him on a cart or gurney. The patient is then wheeled to another location, such as, an x-ray room, or a physical therapy room. The patient is lifted from the cart onto another location such as an x-ray table, or a physical therapy table. The process is then reversed to return the patient to his own bed.
There are a number of devices available which provide means for lifting a patient. Types of these devices are those which are disclosed in the following: U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,425 B. G. Tanney entitled Hospital Patient Transfer Device; U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,371 to W. F. Hirsch entitled Hospital Stretcher Cart; U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,523 to Sele entitled Medical Appliance; U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,328 to Cox entitled Load Lifting And Transferring Device with Multiple Powered Belts; U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,790 to Mracek et al entitled Portable Support For Bed Patient; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,016 to Koll entitled Transfer Mechanism. The prior art devices are quite complicated in their construction and are expensive to manufacture and to maintain. What is required is a device which is simple to operate and inexpensive to manufacture so that hospitals may be in a position to purchase such a device in sufficient quantity to provide for all of their needs.
The device must be one which may be operated by a single nurse or nurse's aid. It must be relatively maintenance free, and it must be simple to operate.